Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Happy Holidays!

To all of our Delaney families...

Colleen Wagstaff, Principal

Delaney School

Friday, December 19, 2014

There is a chill and much excitement in the air as we head into the last days before Winter arrives! The amount of energy in the Delaney School could power a small town! Students remain committed to their learning and teachers are trying hard to keep the focus. Here are some highlights of the week:

Every year, the Wrentham Public Schools’ staff, community members, organizations, and businesses combine forces to help school families in need. This year, 28 families will receive help for the holidays. Mrs. Toni Rando, Delaney School Secretary, with the assistance of Mrs. Kerry Richardson Delaney School Nurse & Mrs. Julie Cashman Roderick School Nurse, work tirelessly to organize this endeavor. Thank you to these ladies and to all those listed below who helped to make the holidays special for our children.

Lions Club

McCombs Family & Neighbors

Wrentham Developmental Center

Wrentham Cooperative Bank

Wrentham Elementary Staff

Wampum Corner Wine & Spirits

The Pond Home

The Holly Club

Anonymous Donors

Positive Referrals

The following students were recognized this week for their contribution to a better Delaney School. They all demonstrated Core Values for their peers and adults.

This child student included a peer in a soccer game and gave praise.

This student gives a smile and a greeting to adults every singe day.

This student helped a peer adjust to the bus.

This student was respectful with a parent volunteer.

This student is always mindful towards peers and adults.

The PTO is sending a reminder that a percentage of your purchases at Stop and shop help our school. Please register your Stop and Shop card using the Delaney ID of 05955. This can be done on the Stop and Shop A+ website.

Please remember that drop off cannot occur prior to 8:10 for safety reasons. There is no adult supervision prior to that time. Although there are adults in the building, they are in meetings or teaching before school and are not available for early arrivals.

Thank you for your continued consideration to our children and staff on this matter.

Here is what we learned during December…

This month’s composer…..Peter Tchaikovsky

Kindergarten: Wow! This month flew by!!! We began the month with a unit on bells. We learned about how the bells make their sound, and played them in different ways (fast, slow, loud, soft and shook them high and low). We sang lots of songs while playing bells like, “Jingle, Bells”, “Little Winter Bell”, “Jingle Mouse” and “Bell Horses”. We also practiced red and green patterns using red and green paper cut outs. Green means go and red means stop. We played these patterns on the bells and with the tambourine. We ended the month with the ballet, “The Nutcracker” by Peter Tchaikovsky. We learned that a ballet is a story that uses dancing and music instead of words. We listened and danced to the music and got to watch the ballet too!

This month’s composer…..Peter Tchaikovsky

First Grade: This month in music we learned about “rests”. A rest is a silence in music. We made patterns with quarter notes, eighth notes and quarter rests using flashcards, colored dots and notating them ourselves. We practiced these rhythms using the rhythm sticks, tambourine and the bells. We got to experience the feel of a rest while learning the song, “Hot Cross Buns”. Finally, we learned about the Russian composer, Peter Tchaikovsky. Peter had to work hard to be a great musician; his parents did not think that a composer was a good enough career. They encouraged him to go to college to study law instead. Eventually, Tchaikovsky left his law career and began composing music professionally. We watched the “Nutcracker” movie and listened and danced to the music. We learned that a ballet is a story that uses dancing and music instead of words.

Second Grade: This month we focused on rhythm. We learned about using quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes, dotted half and whole notes. We learned that each rhythm has a numeric value and we can add them together to make music math. We composed our own rhythms to play with a partner and played Indian Chief too. We learned a new symbol called the repeat sign. It has two dots stacked on top of each other followed by two vertical lines. This symbol is very important and is seen a lot in music. It tells the musician to repeat the music again. We used a listening map for Tchaikovsky’s March and found all the repeat signs. It was a lot of fun following the map to find all the repeats and different sections of this famous song. Lastly, we finished the month with watching the ballet, “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky. It was a really productive month!

Third Grade: The recorders have arrived!! The children have been so excited! Students are focusing on three things. First is how to hold the recorder. Students pick up the recorder with their left hand and balance the recorder with their right hand. Their right hand should be free and wiggly like a “turkey feather”. We also learned how to play three notes; B, A, and G. It is tricky at first, but their fingers need to cover the holes completely so air doesn’t leak out. Leaks make squeaks! We also need to use warm, slow breath (like fogging a mirror) to avoid squeaks. Cold, fast air (like blowing out birthday candles) will also make squeaks. Finally, we talked about being responsible musicians. We agreed that their recorder and recorder folder belongs in their backpack. It is their responsibility to keep track of their instrument and music. They will need to bring it to music each week. If they keep their recorder and folder in their backpack, then they will always be prepared for music class. Each student was given a helpful hint paper with tips on how to play the recorder. They are practicing 6 songs, “Hot Cross Buns”, “Merrily We Roll Along”, “Down by the Station”, “Clair de lune”, “The Big Bass Drum” and “The Triangle Song”. They should practice 10 minutes every day. The students and I are very excited to continue with recorders and begin the Recorder Karate Program after break.

Nurses Corner

Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Scollins have been conducting vision and hearing screening. Please be sure your child beings his/her eyeglasses to school.

Please contact your school nurses if your child is in need of a winter coat this season. A donation of coats has recently been made to the health office.

Geometry in Miss Walsh's Kindergarten

Dr. Ribiero did a lesson about solid shapes!

Please make sure your children dress for the weather. Gross

motor activities are so important and we attempt to have

outdoor recess unless the conditions are extreme.

Lost and Found
Please don't forget to check our Lost and Found in the closet next to the cafeteria labeled with a sign . We will be recycling the textiles over vacation and disposing of anything that cannot remain for sanitary and health reasons.

Happy First Day of Winter on Sunday!

December 24, 2014 through January 4, 2015

Thank you for reading and viewing.

Colleen C. Wagstaff

Principal, Delaney School

Friday, December 12, 2014

December in New England

It is hard to believe we are approaching mid December but the weather tried hard to remind us this week. Our Delaney students are really doing well with curricula expectations and teachers are implementing great lessons to meet objectives. Here are some of the highlights:

Every year, the Wrentham Public Schools’ staff, community members, organizations, and businesses combine forces to help school families in need. This year, 28 families will receive help for the holidays. Mrs. Toni Rando, Delaney School Secretary, with the assistance of Mrs. Kerry Richardson, Delaney School Nurse and Mrs. Julie Cashman, Roderick School Nurse, work tirelessly to organize this endeavor. Thank you to these ladies and to all those listed below who helped to make the holidays special for our children.

Lions Club

McCombs Family & Neighbors

Wrentham Developmental Center

Wrentham Cooperative Bank

Wrentham Elementary Staff

Wampum Corner Wine & Spirits

The Pond Home

The Holly Club

Anonymous Donors

Nurses Corner

Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Scollins have been conducting vision and hearing screening. Please be sure your child beings his/her eyeglasses to school.

Please contact your school nurses if your child is in need of a winter coat this season. A donation of coats has recently been made to the health office.

Please make sure your children dress for the weather. Gross motor activities are so important and we attempt to have outdoor recess unless the conditions are extreme.

T’is the Season for Giving . . .

HOLIDAY COOKIE COLLECTION

to benefit the Wrentham Food Pantry

For 24 years the Holiday Cookie Collection has brightened

the season for many local families.

Join us in continuing this wonderful tradition!

Friday, December 19th, 8:00 am to 2:45 pm

Your non-perishable food donations for the Wrentham

Food Pantry are also greatly appreciated!

Contact Jackie Robison (508.320.5402) with questions

about the collection or to arrange alternate drop-off times.

Thank you for your generosity!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Plimoth Visitors to Delaney

As part of Grade 3 Social Studies, guests from Plimoth Plantation were in school on Monday. In character, they spent time in each third grade classroom telling the students about life at Plimoth .

Because children are ever surprising us, I wanted to share a story I received from a parent of a third grade student. Since Monday was so cold, the children had indoor recess. A student happened to notice and announce to his fellow classmates that “William Bradford” got into a “red camero” in the Delaney parking lot and that parking lot became the object of much viewing!

Hibernation day with Mrs. Nunes’ Kindegarten

Positive Referrals

This student was showing Core Values by helping a classmate.

This student was kind to a classmate.

I was invited to read a Gingerbread Story this week to

Mrs. Nunes’ class. I brought a 1963 version by Bonnie

and Bill Rutherford. The children were great listeners!

They wrote about Gingerbread boys and presented

their writing to me.